Americans for Ibogaine Applauds Executive Order Prioritizing Ibogaine Research, Launching Major Federal Effort for Veterans
Washington, D.C. [April 18, 2026] — President Donald J. Trump has signed an Executive Order directing a coordinated federal effort to prioritize ibogaine research, accelerate clinical development, and modernize regulatory pathways for emerging therapies, with a focus on Veterans.
Americans for Ibogaine, the national nonprofit leading advocacy, education, and coalition building around ibogaine, has been central to advancing it from the margins of policy conversations to a national priority. Through its work educating lawmakers, elevating credible research, and bringing forward lived experience, the organization helped drive Texas’ $100 million investment in ibogaine clinical trials, the largest publicly funded psychedelic research initiative in history, and catalyzed the momentum behind this federal action. This Executive Order is a long-overdue breakthrough for the United States healthcare system, particularly for Veterans and those facing substance use disorder.
The Executive Order directs a whole-of-government effort to advance research into ibogaine and related compounds, including no less than $50 million in federal funding. It mandates expedited FDA review, expands coordination across the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and establishes federal-state collaboration to remove barriers to research and care. The order also calls for regulatory modernization, including faster researcher access, new care and payment models tied to outcomes, and alignment between FDA approval and DEA scheduling so that effective treatments can move more quickly to patients.
“This is a historic moment for our Veterans and for this country,” said Rick Perry, Chairman of Americans for Ibogaine and former Texas Governor. “I have seen firsthand the impact ibogaine can have on our warfighters. For too long, they have been forced to leave the United States to access care. That should never have been the case. Today is a major step toward correcting that.”
Prior to this Executive Order, and as of today, ibogaine remains classified as a Schedule I substance, a category reserved for drugs defined as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Emerging scientific evidence increasingly calls that classification into question, with research pointing to ibogaine’s potential to address the underlying neurological drivers of substance use disorder and trauma. This Executive Order represents a critical step toward resolving that gap by accelerating research and establishing a clear pathway for rigorous scientific evaluation within the United States.
For many Veterans, that gap between policy and access is not theoretical; it is personal.
“Ibogaine freed me from trauma and substance use in a way nothing else ever could, and it made me a better man,” said Marcus Luttrell, Navy SEAL Veteran, author of Lone Survivor, and Americans for Ibogaine Board Member. “The signing of this Executive Order tells our Veterans they have not been forgotten and that real help is finally coming.”
Americans for Ibogaine has laid the groundwork for this moment, advancing efforts to bring ibogaine into the United States healthcare system through multi-state legislative efforts.
“This began with a small group who refused to accept the status quo and fought to bring ibogaine into the United States healthcare system, growing into a national movement that could not be ignored,” said W. Bryan Hubbard, CEO of Americans for Ibogaine. “We have always believed this was the moonshot of our time. People from every corner of this country came together and demanded better. Today, that movement has compelled action at the highest levels of the federal government. The era of federal prohibition of psychedelic medicine in America is coming to an end.”
This effort has built bipartisan support across the country, with legislators at both the state and federal levels calling for urgent action to advance ibogaine research.
“Veterans who have exhausted their options at home are left with an impossible choice: continue treatments that have failed them, or travel abroad for a medically complex therapy without the safeguards of the United States healthcare system,” Congressman Morgan Luttrell wrote in a letter to President Trump urging federal action on ibogaine. “It is unacceptable that the men and women who served this country are forced to leave it to access care they should be able to receive here. We must move with urgency to ensure clinical trials move forward and deliver the solutions our Veterans deserve.”
Americans for Ibogaine believes this Executive Order is a critical step toward advancing ibogaine research and bringing these therapies into the United States healthcare system.
Americans for Ibogaine will continue working with federal and state partners, research institutions, and healthcare leaders to advance ibogaine research with urgency and integrity.
About Americans for Ibogaine Americans for Ibogaine is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the medicalization of ibogaine through FDA-approved clinical trials, evidence-based policy, and public education.